Wheatboard or strawboard products can definitely be considered as a rapidly renewable resource, but can it also be considered recycled content as well? I searched through the reference guide and the CIRs on the USGBC website, but have been unable to find definite answer.

On a related note, does anyone know of a good LEED forum that isn't just a bunch of people talking about how to get accredited? I can't seem to find one. We should have a section here! [/i]

dear associate:
good question most likely that information should concern you if you are bidding a project for the General Service administration Act (GSA). If it so that information has to be in the Sweets Catalog.
there is a forum for "green building design in this website"

While I appreciate the need for a "green building" forum, I'm talking about a forum specifically for LEED. Along the same lines, I'm concerned specifically with LEED NC 2.2 MR credit 4 with regards to this issue.

Sweets doesn't have the information I need, as manufacturers (with a few exceptions) are woefully behind in knowing what information architects and specifiers need to determine if they are achieving LEED MR credits. Even the Building Green suite and GreenSpec directory, which is the best resource out there so far, often lacks in providing the hard numbers.

how much wheatboard are you using? its always great to have products do double duty but is it simply being a rapidly renewable resource enough?

i don't recall from memory but isn't all the recycled content and renewable resource material issues have to do by weight or cost to the over project being some percentage?

are you really using that much wheatboard on this project? from what i understand it isn't all that heavy comparatively to other building products and its cost isn't such that it would seriously effect other better candidates for recycled content like structural steel

All of the MR 3-7 credits are based on weight (to determine content) and cost (to determine applicable credits). Wheatboard is one of many products we are using with recycled content, though rapidly renewable content is pretty much limited to cork, linoleum, bamboo, and wheatboard products.

Joel,
Bamboo, wheatboard, and similar materials are alternatives to wood based products. Bamboo and wheat fall under rapidly renewable materials.
If they are harvested and turned into building materials they don't qualify as recycled content.

What are part of it is recycled?

MDF (as an example-not promoting it) on the other hand is made from post industrial waste. Some have high content of recycled wood waste from recycled post consumer wood based materials or products. So you need to study the content of the material.
If the wheat board was made from previously used wheat board that was recycled and remanufactured, then you are on to something. Depending on the amount of post consumer content, you'll apply for the appropriate credit.

You could check out paperstone which is FSC certified and made from a high content of recycled paper content. As a paneling or solid surface alternative.

My argument is that any pre consumer recycled material is just a byproduct of a production process. Couldn't the production of wheat for food be considered an industrial process, and the stalk a recycled byproduct (if turned into an agrifiber core)?

I'm not arguing that all rapidly renewable materials are preconsumer, as bamboo, cork, etc. are obviously not. I'm only talking specifically about wheat.

Joel,
I understand your argument and it's not that I disagree. Consider straw bales. They are a agri waste by product of rice/ wheat production. If we utilize them for a straw bale building, they are only applicable for the rapidly renewable material. They are not considered recycled materials. If the straw was obtained within 500 miles, we would use it for that credit (regional) too.

Since certification requires providing back up material for certain credits, I would suggest looking at the manufacturer's certification. Most biocomposites tend to have decent back up information since a lot of them cater to LEED. The literature I have from, say, environ biocomposites for wheat board only points to rapidly renewable materials. They do not refer to it as recycled.
It's not so much making the argument to USGBC for the credit but meeting their intent and having the right calculations or literature to back up the credit you are seeking.
Any project that I worked on was V2.1, so maybe they have changed things in V2.2 but other than making it harder to obtain a credit, I don't think they would have made it easier.
Besides the credit asks for sum of post-consumer recycled content + 5% (p-c + 1/2 p-i) 1/2 post-industrial content constitutes at least 5% of total value of materials. You could make the argument for PI content but I suspect not for the PC. Maybe when more wheat board or similar bio composites see more use and then are recycled in the future, you will get recycled wheat board products.
Maybe let us know what you are going through taking this project on V2.2 as you take it down the certification path.

joel,
as it relates to the first post.
This seems like a new user related forum for LEED.
http://www.green-space.us/forum/index.phpIt does not have a lot of traffic but the users all seem to have good input when there are questions.

Wheat board is a kind of new eco friendly and No-formaldehyde-emission board. Wheat board is a suitable and good substitute for formaldehyde emitting MDF board and OSB board, that meets or surpasses the characteristics of similar commercially available products.